Sectional perforating die



Sept. 25, 1951 B. MAY 2,568,863

SECTIONAL PERFORATING DIE Filed April 8, 1948 I N V EN TOR. erram May RNE1 Y BYJM :A TTU Patented Sept. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE Y 2.568,36?.y I l v sEc'rIoNAL PERFORMING Die l p v v Bertram'May, New York, N.'Y. A

Application April 8, 1948, Serial NoJ 19,7 50 l u This invention relates to perforating dies for sheet material and particularly to those employing a gang of individual punches.

' .The invention contemplates the provision of .a multiple perforating die made of sections havwhich may conveniently be combined with addi- .tional similar dies to punch a row of any num--` ber of holes and of any desired length on each :stroke of the die.

The invention further contemplates the provi- Asion of a simple and relatively inexpensive but lefcient perforating die designed for quick and `easy attachment to a suitable reciprocating press to be automatically and continuously or inter- .mittently operated thereby as desired, and where- :in the perforators or punches are so supported,

operated and guided that accurate operation is assured-at all times, wear is reduced to a minimumand long life and quick and easy replacement of the parts when necessary is attained, the individual punches being replaceable without the necessity for removing the die from the press.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and .from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a. front elevational view of one form of the multiple or sectional perforating die, certain of the parts being partly broken away to vshow the interior structure.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the die taken through one of the punches and showing the punches about to complete the perforating operation.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of two longitudinally aligned identical dies of the kind shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said view showing certain parts of the left hand die broken away. the right hand part of the view being a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the sectional punch holders as it appears assembled with its punch.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a modied .f form of the punch holder. y. v Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the holder @of Fig. 5.

11 Claims. (C1A. 164-410) In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example in Figs. 1 to 4,' the 'main body or frame lll of the die is designed to be secured directly or indirectly to thebed of a suitable press, as for example, by resting its lowerrnost surface II on the bed or onV a plate which in turn is secured to the bed, or by keying the frame to the bed or to a fixture se- Icured to the bed in amanner which is so well understood that no further description nor illustration thereof is deemed necessary. The rod I2 passing through aridacljustably held to the bearing I3, which forms the rear partl of the body I0, serves to fix the body in adjusted position relatively to the bed of the press when the 'set screws I4 are tightened. Said rod may be supported by suitable brackets or bearings, (not shown) secured to4 and upstanding from any convenient xed part in an obvious manner. As

` best seen in -Fig. 2, there isv arranged on the front face I5 of the body, a punch holder comi,- prising a number of individual separate sections I6, each llixedlyd carrying aI punch or kper'forator as Il which projects downwardly therefrom. lrhe rear edges ofjthe respective sections slideon the face I5 toward and from the base VI8 of the body. A stripper I9 of considerable height relatively to the diameter of the punch, is formed integrallywith the body Ill and projects forwardly of the face I5 a lesser distance lthan the base I8, the stripper being separated from the base by the space 2| therebetween, and thesheet or sheets 22 to be perforated, being insertedrinto said space. The stripper is perforated as at 23 with a row of equally spaced apart holeseach adapted to receive and support a punch I'I and serving as a bearing for that purpose, a substantial part of the length of the punch remaining in its hole at all times and being adequately guided thereby during its reciprocatory movement in the hole.

The cutting edge at the lower end of each of 'the punches is designed to cooperate with the edge of the corresponding hole as 24 in the plate or anvil '25, thereby to shear off an area ofthe sheet or stack of sheets 22 corresponding to the shapes of the punch and of the hole 24 asithe punch holder descends. The waste material is deposited in the hole 26 in the forwardly projecting base I8 of the body and ultimately falls out of the base. Y

All of the holder sections I6 are shown as'of the same size and as equally spaced apartlongitudinally and as aligned longitudinally ofthe Udie. 'Ihe corresponding holes 26 in the base or the anvil holes 24 hence are also shown as equally the shaft.

spaced apart. It will be understood, however', that the die is not limited to sections of the same width or to holes spaced equally apart provided that the anvil holes and base holes are spaced apart to correspond to the spacing of the punches I1 and to the thicknesses of the respective sections. Nor need any of the holes and corresponding punches be of any particular shape nor the same shape as. the others` as will bereadily understood from the use of separate punches independent of each other. If the punches are to be interchangeable, it is obviousthatthespacing therebetween should be uniform and-V that the sections should be of the same site and shape.

To avoid the exertion of any undue stress on the punches such as might cause 'them to break or to wear out prematurely, each section` i6 is guided in its vertical reciprocating motion by 'the' rear surface 21` of the upright flange 28 ofthe angle memberh 29; the horizontal flange 30 of which is' removably-secured to-the upper face of the body l as by means of the screws 3l, 32. Excessive twisting of the holder or of the sections thereof in the spaces between the surfaces f21 and I5 and bending and consequent overloadpunch-es carried thereby includes the operating shaft 33 which is oscillated or rocked by suitable connections to a moving part of the press in a manner' which isl well understood. In a contin- -uously operated press, the shaft 33 is automatically rockecl continuously. In a one-revolution press controlled for example by a footlever, the shaft comes to` rest after each actuation of the lever and each consequent com-plete oscillation of In any f case, the oscillation of the shaft is transferred tothe punch holder sectionsto reciprocate them and the punchessecured thereto.

'For this purpose; a pair-of spaced, generally triangular, slots as 34, 35 aremade in the rear edge of each section, to-leave the taperedmember '36 separating the slots. Said member enters looselyA intoV the somewhat larger longitudinal slot 31 inthe shaft 33 and is retained in said slot. The

entire set of sections constituting the holder is thereby positively reciprocated as a unit on the oscillation of the shaft, ilrst to drive the punches through the sheets 22` and into the holes 26 'of the base and then to withdraw the punches upf Wardly past the space 2 l without the necessity for Accurate alignment of the punch with springs. the'anvil hole 23 andthe consequent clean perforating operation is assured by reason of the relatively high stripper i9 which-prevents shifting of the punch out of alignment with its anvil and support of the shaft and each secured to the body by screws as 4I. body I' is equal to the overall width of the holder,

Since the width ofthe those parts of the plate which'forwardly overhang. the body serve tohold the holder sections properly between them and against longitudinal displacement. The walls of the openings 39 also serve as bearings for the shaft 33, which'is 'also .partly supported in the longitudinal. hole 40 .through the body I0 and extending to the front `surface i5 .ofsaid body... Since the-wall surround- 4 ing the hole 40 cooperates with the members 36 to hold the shaft 33 against transverse land lateral movement, the shaft is inserted into and Withdrawn from the die by a longitudinal movement. When a holder section and its punch are to be replaced, the angle member 30 is first removed to expose the sections, whereafter the shaft 33 is withdrawn longitudinally as above explained. Any damaged section may then be lifted out from between its adjacent sections and an identical but undamaged section substituted. In' the case where a hole ordinarily made by any particular sectionfisto be omitted, that section is replaced by an otherwise identical section without a punch.

assemble twoof such dies, 'thehun-corresponding adjacent endl piates are removed, and. the of the second 'die mounted on the shaft 33,. with vthe tapered members 36 entering the slot 31, the

bearing 3a being at Athe same time mountedon the rod I2 and the adjacent terminal. holder sec'- tions of the respective dies being then pressed together. The end plate 38a at the riglitJhad end of the right hand` die'as .viewed in Fig. l3, remains secured by the screws 4I toits' diebod'y thereby to prevent longitudinal dspla'cemeiw'of the sections It ywhen relative movement `of the dies is prevented. Finally', the set screw's Mare tightened to prevent displacing movement ofthe second die. .When one orniore dies are so s38- sembled, oscillation .ofthe `shaft 33.1eciprocat' vall of the sections in bothdies simultaneously.

In the modified form of the invention 4shovvrrin Figs. 5 and 6,. the punches45 are-'each separately and. independently removable .from `the holder` which comprises two sections 46A and 41,. eachfot which. extends the .entire length ofgthe frame.

Instead of fixing each punch toa.' section having a .width about equal.A to'l .the distancegbetween `punches as, in4 Fig.1thelowerlsection 4,1of. the .holder is provided with ahole-.48 foreachfpunch Y45. The uppermost'part 49. ofgth'e hole is :preferably couhtersunk to receive thge conical. head .50 .of the punch-the upper face 5I of thehomd being preferably. lushwith the uppervsurfaceiZ `of the holder section 41, which carries all ofrthe punches. The transversely projecting tongue 'I3 ..of the holder. section 41 isfltted into the groove y 55;..56 similarto the' slots34, 35'of1the section? II.

Between the Slots is the` .tapered 'memberBGasm the. section I6. The holder! 43, 41 is therefore similar to the sectional holder of` Figs.'l-4 insofar as its operating mechanism and inserttim into and support in the die are concernedh When a. punch is to be replaced or omitted, access thereto is-"qui'ckly` had without'reinovi'ng the' shaft 33. The endv plates '38' and.4 preferably the angle-member aen-eed merely be. removed.

' whereupon the vupper` holder.'section` 446 'maybe removed by a longitudinalmovementWhich-'slides the memberfa thereof out 'ofthe'- slot in theshaft 33A and exposes the lower holder' sec-,tion415.A :said section 41 may then be raised tor'niove ali'f the' punches from.' their' 'holesinfthe stripper I9, whereafter the selected""riu'tichisV merely? :out @frits noie inV seioseetion um which -izrests loosely by gravity, and a new punch if desired.V If the punch is omitted,- no perforation is made in the sheet and there is no necessity for adding any section to attainsuch resultas is necessary. with .the-holder .sections lli.Mv When the'sectionsAG and 41. are assembled, the heads f --the' punches are held d own by the upper wall of the grove 54 so thatn the sections 46;'A'lland the I'puch 45 all move as in av unit in operation.-A

It will be seen that I have providediarsimple but eiiicient multiple perforating die in which the perforators or punches are adequately guided and supported against danger of breakage, that the individual punches may be quickly and easily replaced when and if necessary, that a number of similar dies may be readily assembled to punch a row of holes of any desired length, and that I have provided a structure well designed to meet severe commercial requirements.

While I have shown and described certain specific forms of the invention, it will be obvious that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a perforating die of rthe character described, a frame provided with a forwardly projecting base, a punch holder comprising separable holder sections reciprocating as a unit in the frame, a stripper projecting forwardly of the frame and in upward spaced relation to the base, said base and stripper having longitudinally aligned and spaced perforations therein, a series of punches individually and separately removable from the holder, a member fixed to and overhanging the frame and the holder and having a guiding face thereon engaging the front face of the holder to guide the holder, end plates, each removably secured to and extending past an end of the frame and having a circular bearing hole therein, said plates guiding and confining between them the ends of the holder, an oscillatory shaft mounted in the frame and passing through said hole in the end plate, and interengaging means on the shaft and the holder for positively reciprocating the holder.

2. The perforating die of claim 1, the holder sections being of the same size and shape and each carrying one of the punches.

3. The perforating die of claim 1, the holder comprising two holder sections connected by a tongue and groove joint, one of the sections loosely carrying the punches and the other engaging the ends of and removably maintaining the punches in said one section.

4. In a perforating die of the character described, a punch holder comprising separable holder sections, punches individually supported in said holder and individually removable therefrom, means for reciprocating the punches as a unit, means engaging the front and rear faces of the holder for guiding and supporting the holder in the reciprocating movement thereof and removable means slidably engaging the ends of the holder and preventing relative longitudinal movement of the sections.

5. The perforating die of claim 4, the means for preventing relative movement of the sections comprising a pair of relatively xed end plates between which the holder is arranged.

6. The perforating die of claim 5, each of the end plates having a circular bearing hole therein, the means for reciprocating the punches including an oscillatory shaft passing through and supported by the plates and having an operative connection to the holder to reciprocate the holder.

The perforating die of claiid; th for guiding and supporting the helderi compris-fV ing a frame having a front surface engaging 'the rear ysurface of the holder, and an angle member removably secured to the traine and having a flange in forward spaced relation to the front surface .and engaging the front face of the holder. "8. lIn a perfratifig die'of thecharacterA de-v scribed, a frame having va front face'provided with a longitudinal recess, a shaft having a lon-r gitudinal slot therein oscillating in said recess and projecting beyond both ends of the frame, a punch holder comprising a series of substantially identical sections arranged in side by side relation and each carrying a punch, each of the sections having a slot in the rear edge thereof and having a tapered projection extending rearwardly at the mid-portion of the slot and entering the slot of the shaft, an angle member having one flange thereof slidably engaging the front edges of all of the sections and having the other flange thereof removably secured to the top of the frame, and a pair of plates each removably secured to an end of the frame and having a hole therein for the passage of the shaft. and means for adjustably securing the frame in an operative position.

9. In a perforating die of the character described, a frame having a front face provided with a longitudinal recess, a slotted shaft oscillating in the recess and projecting forwardly out of the recess, a punch holder comprising an upper section and a lower section, the upper section having a slot in the rear face thereof re'- ceiving the projecting part of the shaft, a projecting member on the rear face of the upper section entering the slot of the shaft, the lower section having a series of spaced perforations therein countersunk at the upper ends thereof, a headed punch loosely fitted into each one of the perforations and held therein by the under face of the upper section and a tongue and groove connection slidably securing the sections together.l

10. In a perforating die of the character de. scribed, a punch holder having sections arranged"L to form a front face and a rear face on the holder., relatively fixed and laterally spaced apart mem. bers slidably guiding the front and rear faces.l of the holder respectively for reciprocation there between, and preventing lateral displacement off the sections, and longitudinally spaced members; engaging the respective ends of the holder andi preventing relative longitudinal displacement of the sections, said sections being of the same length, and being slidably connected by means of a tongue and groove joint, one of the sections loosely carrying a series of spaced punches, and the other section engaging corresponding ends of the punches and preventing displacement thereof.

1l. In a perforating die of the character described, a frame, a punch holder comprising separable holder sections arranged in face to face contact and reciprocating as a unit in the frame. a series of punches individually supported in said holder and individually removable therefrom, a

member removably secured to the frame and having a guiding face thereon engaging the front face of the holder to guide the holder during the reciprocation thereof, end plates removably se cured to the frame and guiding and confining between them the ends of the holder, and means supported by the frame and engaging the holder for reciprocating the holder, the holder sections being two in number and being slidably connected, one of the sections loosely carrying the 

